What is Medical Professionalism?

Medical Professionalism is the daily expression of the desire to help people and society as a whole by providing quality health care to those in need.

Today’s definition of medical professionalism is evolving – from autonomy to accountability, from expert opinion to evidence-based medicine, from self-interest to teamwork and shared responsibility. For many, medical professionalism is the “heart and soul of medicine.” More than the adherence to a set of medical ethics, it is what originally attracted them to the field of medicine.

Many physicians today experience profound obstacles to fulfilling the ideals of medical professionalism in practice. These obstacles range from struggles faced on an individual level to issues that exist throughout the system.

This website, and our work, is dedicated to exploring how physician leaders, health care organizations and public policy can foster medical professionalism and intrinsic motivation at all levels as a means to improve health care for everyone.